"Glee’s" Jessalyn Gilsig talks about what she’s learned since becoming a mom.

Jessalyn, mother to four-year-old Penelope, says that taking care of yourself first is the most important thing you can do as a parent. “My mom told me, ‘Remember on the plane, they say if the oxygen masks come down, put yours on first before your child, I said it would be impossible, and she said, ‘I know, but they say it for a reason. I realized she was saying the best way to serve your child is to make sure you’re healthy, because they’re so dependent on you." She knows that is sometimes easier said than done: "It’s hard, because you figure you’ll get to yourself later. I’ve learned I’m no good to Penelope — or myself — if I’m not healthy."

On what she’s learned since she had her daughter: "Motherhood has taught me the meaning of living in the moment and being at peace. When I’m with Penelope, I have to be present. I owe that to her — to not be haunted what might have been or to be obsessed over what I shoulda, woulda, coulda been doing."

Ann Monroe (aka Maureen Smith) is a Santa Monica based writer and editor who drives her friends and family crazy with her non-stop love for wordsmithing & humor. Her relentless passion for writing, design, research and travel has steered her into many life adventures ranging from writing to winemaking to real estate project development.